


The Traveller's Tavern

by FizzleFudge



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bartender x Traveller, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29942004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FizzleFudge/pseuds/FizzleFudge
Summary: North is an easily bored bartender near the eastern gate, when one day an intriguing woman steps into the tavern with trouble in tow.
Relationships: Kara/North (Detroit: Become Human)
Kudos: 2





	The Traveller's Tavern

A pair of hands, mutilated by a lifetime of hard work, were currently scrubbing the top of a bar counter vigorously. The owner of the hands was a somewhat tall woman, known throughout the town for her wonderful drinks down at the tavern near the eastern gate, where she was currently working. “You’re a witch!” people sometimes called her, most of them jokingly while some meant it accusingly. But everyone who had ever had the pleasure of tasting her delicious malt told nothing but great things of her, which overweight the accusatory statements.

But that was not enough to please the woman. Nothing in her life had ever truly made her satisfied. After escaping the horrible faith of a prostitute as a juvenile, she had tried a bunch of different jobs to keep busy. Working in the mineshaft was enjoyable for a few years, but she quickly grew bored of it, just as she grew bored of the following eleven workplaces she’d tried during her life. Now, as a bartender, she was almost as disinterested in her job as she was in the countless men who tried to get her into sharing a bed.

One Thursday evening, as the tavern neared its closing time and the only customers left were a couple of teenagers of dubious age and a sleeping man in the corner, a person the bartender had never seen before entered through the main door. It was a woman, a great bit shorter and younger than the red-haired bartender, with short blonde hair framing her kind face. A thick cloak covered her body, and as she waltzed toward the bar in a heavy boot-clad stride, she somehow managed to look both gracious and frightening at the same time.

The woman behind the bar smiled welcomingly. There could never be enough women in a bar; that was a motto she would never not agree with. However, as the woman approached, she noticed that she was most definitely talking to someone. Furrowing her brows, the bartender continued to smile, thinking that maybe it was her the incoherent words were directed towards.

“Hey’a, darlin’!” the bartender called out when the blonde was only a few steps away. She received a tentative smile in return.

“No, we must wait until dawn, at the very least. Now shut it”, the short woman whispered hurriedly before meeting the bartender’s gaze. “Hello, dear”, she greeted with a voice soft enough that it would make even Hel herself melt in delight. “Would your malt be any good around here?”

“I guarantee ya’ it’s the best ye’re gonna get in the entirety of the north, hun”, the older woman winked as she started to fill a goblet for the blonde. “Tha’s an impressive sword ye’ve got there.” She had not noticed it before, but up close she saw the thick blade that hung by the woman’s hip, the candles on the counter making it glow in reflection.

“Oh, please do not compliment it”, she answered quickly, “it gets terribly cocky much too easily.”

As the bartender handed the other a goblet with the finest malt available, she frowned while contemplating whether she had heard right or not. “Cocky?” she asked, a tad confused. But before the blonde even had time to open her mouth to answer, another voice filled the silence - not at all as soft and lovely as the one that spilled from the pink lips of the woman in front of her.

“Scandalous!” it almost screeched. At the same time, the sheeted sword started to glow, turning practically as light as the torches positioned by the walls. The blonde placed it on the table. “You seem to do no other thing than walk around all the bloody time, using _me_ to slay magical creatures and yet _you_ always manage to get all the credit!” The voice continued to yell as the blonde woman sighed and drew a hand through her hair in exasperation. “Even now, when it is _I_ who receive a compliment for once, you simply _have_ to talk me down by telling your acquaintance I am _cocky_! Unbelievable.”

The woman behind the bar smiled, now extremely confused. Who was this beautiful woman before her, with a sword that glows as bright as fire and speaks as if it were Excalibur itself? The younger woman proved to be a unique blessing by the Gods, indeed.

“My name is Kara”, she said with a crooked little smile and drew a sun-kissed hand through her hair. “And I wish of you to forgive my sword for behaving in such a rude manner.” She wore a silver ring on her middle finger instead of the ring finger, indicating she was not married but rather wore jewellery simply as a choice of fashion. Some female travellers wore rings to indicate they were in a relationship, but when they got intoxicated enough they would lean toward the bartender and reveal that they were actually single, since apparently they often got treated with less respect if they appeared to be on their own. This woman did not seem to think the way they did.

“Kara”, the bartender tasted the name, pronouncing it slowly, as if feeling the edges of it on the tip of her tongue. “Tha’s a southern name, innit?” She leaned over the counter, watching as Kara took a refreshing sip of the goblet.

“That is correct”, she answered shortly, not showing any indication to continue the story of her far travels across the land. “What about yourself?”

“Born an’ raised as North, darlin’.” With an exaggerated wink, North leaned forward to cast a glance at the bottom of Kara’s coat, from which her pair of dirty and worn boots were visible. A fair traveller she was, indeed.

Surprising North, the sound of a loud crash rang through the tavern and the two women immediately tensed while the sword started to glow yet again. In one of the corners by the other end of the room, a table was completely demolished, but a culprit was nowhere to be seen. Now, the bartender realised the tavern had emptied of all people except herself and the alluring woman.

“Oh no”, the sword all but whispered. “It is those soldiers again, is it not?”

Instead of answering, Kara bit her lower lip, and although it seemed to be a grave situation, North could do nothing else than melt a little as she watched her. When the blonde nodded toward the dismantled table, she shook her head to regain her cool and grabbed hold of a plank before jumping over the counter to stand beside her. With the sword and plank in hand, they made their way across the room.

When they were only a few steps away, a spot on the wall right above the table started to pulsate in a scarlet tone. As North went rigid, Kara chose to take a step forward, facing the wall with a stoic expression. Right before her very eyes, the spot turned darker and smaller, until it seemed to grow out to sculpt itself into a humanoid creature made of wood.

“The fair Lady of Detroit”, it spoke in a guttural tongue, “it seems our paths were not meant to separate just yet.” While it had the appearance of a human, although without any colour other than the dark wood of the wall, its eyes were larger than was proportional to its face, and they flicked around the blonde woman hungrily.

“I was under the impression I made it clear I wish to have nothing to do with the soldiers again”, Kara answered briskly. “Thus, unless you want to carry your head back to your dear leader, I advise you to disappear.”

“No, come on!” the sword spoke. “I have been terribly bored ever since we fought Zlatko last week. We can take this dear fellow down, I assure you.”

North was rarely confused and more often than not extremely bored, just as the sword. But right now, she was neither, and had not been more interested in a person for a very long time. Because of this, and the fact that she wanted nothing else but to impress this woman, she took a step forward and swung the plank as hard as she could.

The vibrations travelled throughout her entire body as wood connected with wood, and she gritted her teeth to stop them from chattering. After her initial attack, Kara was quick to follow suit. Her sword gleamed as it flew through the air above her head, about to collide with the soldier. However, the wooden creature jumped to the side in the last minute, barely escaping her wrath.

Unfortunately, it jumped right into North, who was not ready for the hard collision and fell to the floor quite ungracefully. The soldier saw its chance, and was just about to strike down to hurt her, when the satisfying sound of metal through wood declared that Kara had saved her in time.

“Well, North”, the younger woman pronounced it firmly, as she fixated the bartender under an intent gaze. “I can do nothing but hope you will tell me what plans you have after the closing hour has arrived?”

Another smile crept its way to North’s lips as Kara leaned over her and swiftly pulled her from the ground without letting go of her hand. Their faces were mere inches apart, and neither of them broke eye contact. “I’m sure I could find some free time”, North all but breathed out, her warm breath brushing Kara’s face softly.

“I do sincerely hope you do not plan on leaving me outside the whole night again.” The sword once again started glowing in the woman’s grasp in between them, and Kara sighed at the interruption and drew back. “This immense rain really came from nowhere, did it not? I do not wish to catch a cold only for you to have some lady-business taken care of!”

Kara lifted the sword and put it in the scabbard on her back before it had any chance to interrupt them a second time.


End file.
